10 Charged in LSU Student’s Hazing Death
The student’s alcohol-related hazing death occurred last month.
Ten people have been charged in connection with the hazing death of LSU student Maxwell Gruver.
The LSU Police Department said eight of the ten people facing charges are current LSU students and enrolled in the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. The other two people have ties to Phi Delta Theta.
Gruver, 18, was pledging in that fraternity last month during an event the fraternity members referred to as “Bible study”, where students would be quizzed on information about the fraternity and forced to drink alcohol if they gave incorrect answers.
Phi Delta Theta members later found Gruver lying on a couch at the fraternity house and couldn’t tell if he was breathing.
An autopsy revealed Gruver’s blood alcohol level at the time of his death was .495 and his official cause of death was “acute alcohol intoxication with aspiration.”
Initially, police deemed Gruver’s death a “potential hazing incident”, but now all ten people involved face hazing charges.
The most serious penalty was filed against 19-year-old Matthew Alexander Naquin, who faces negligent homicide charges.
All nine other people face a hazing charge, which is a misdemeanor in the state, and could face up to 30 days in prison reports NBC News.
Greek activities at LSU were suspended following Gruver’s death.
“Today’s arrests underscore that the ramifications of hazing can be devastating,” LSU President F. King Alexander said in a statement. “Maxwell Gruver’s family will mourn his loss for the rest of their lives, and several other students are now facing serious consequences — all due to a series of poor decisions.”
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